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Purchase of Fishing Rights from The Environment Agency

We have received the following letter from the Peak Forest Angling Club. If you would like to offer your support to the Club find out how you can help at the end of this page:

"We would like to draw your attention to the plight of the Peak Forest Angling Club.

In 1860 Queen Victoria granted William Bagshawe the fishery and the bed of the river Noe and it’s tributaries. Eight months later the Peak Forest Angling Club was formed and leased the fishery from William Bagshawe. We have now fished the river for over one hundred and forty years and the club envisaged fishing the river for as long as it was in existence.

With that in mind, about ten years ago, we set about purchasing the fishery and bed from the Environment Agency and an offer was made and effectively accepted in March 1997. During searches it became apparent that a local landowner had recently purchased a parcel of land adjoining his estate, and registered title to a small portion of the river bed. The land registry granted title without knowledge of the Agencies deeds. The Agency has since been trying to overturn this error.

This has obviously taken a long time and is about to reach a conclusion if the Agency choose to take it that far. The outcome of a Land Registry hearing will almost certainly rule in favour of the Agency, but there is obviously a cost associated with this hearing.

As the agency effectively accepted our offer of purchase we find it morally wrong for the Agency to now sell the fishery and bed to a third party. Whilst the third party is willing to grant us a short lease there is no guarantee of tenure. There is a strong possibility that the club would not reach it’s 150th anniversary.

Over the years we have not only paid a fair rent for the fishing, but we have stocked and maintained the river. Without this care the river would be little more than an overgrown ditch having little or no value as a fishery.

It is difficult to believe that the Environment Agency which has accepted our rent over all these years, on the basis that the fishing rights were their property, are now prepared to sell the fishing rights to a third party, because they are not prepared to accept the costs of proving ownership.

To sell ten miles of prime river fishing holding wild brown trout, wild rainbow trout and grayling to a third party who has no interest in fishing, rather than settle a minor dispute over a few hundred yards of river is incredible, and in our opinion the Agency has acted in a way that is unreasonable for a public body.

On purchase of the fishing rights we had planned to invest the monies saved on the rent to turn a good fishery into an excellent one.

We feel that as an old established club with a proven track record of looking after the river and providing affordable fishing for local people we should be allowed to purchase the fishing as originally agreed."

The Club would appreciate the help of Fish & Fly visitors. E-mails of support should be sent to Chairman of the club, at Vincent.Middleton@newburgh.co.uk
who will keep mails on file and then send them en masse to the EA and other
concerned bodies.